After the commissioning of Aso TV…
The recent commissioning of Aso television station located on Katampe hill of Abuja by the FCTA is a welcome development as it brings to an end the decade long wait for the take off of the station. It is befitting for Abuja, the nation’s capital city to have and operate her own TV station like […]
The recent commissioning of Aso television station located on Katampe hill of Abuja by the FCTA is a welcome development as it brings to an end the decade long wait for the take off of the station. It is befitting for Abuja, the nation’s capital city to have and operate her own TV station like we currently have in many states in the country to keep residents and citizens abreast of her activities and provide platform for socioeconomic discourse among other benefits. The benefits of the station as expressed by the Hon. FCT Minister and other guest speakers at the commissioning ceremony are enormous to residents of the FCT. These include providing avenue for awareness creation, popularization of the cultural heritage/traditions of the indigenous tribes of the FCT, revenue generation through adverts and promotion of harmonious co-existence among residents.
While I like many residents express deep excitement over the eventual take off of the station’s and commend the FCTA for the laudable efforts made in acquiring state-of-the-art broadcast facilities for the station, I want to appeal to the FCTA to resuscitate the moribund TV booster stations of Aso Broadcasting Company Limited for effective and widespread dissemination of information and broadcast programs across the FCT.
The existing TV booster stations established in 1998 by the former FCT minister Gen. Jeremiah Useni located in Abaji, Karshi and Bwari respectively have remained dilapidated and abandoned for many years now. The resuscitation of these TV booster stations will greatly enhance and expand the broadcast signal strength and reach of Aso TV to various villages and towns in the FCT whose topographies and distance from the centre city make it difficult for residents to receive TV/radio broadcast signals.
Considering the pivotal role played by information dissemination in the sustenance of democracy and nation building especially at the grassroots, it is important that the FCTA commits the needed resources to rehabilitate these TV booster stations to enable them continue to perform their major role of information dissemination to the people as the TV booster stations if functional can be used as a viable tool for public enlightenment and behavioural change campaigns that foster orientation among residents regarding various public health and socioeconomic issues among others.
The dilapidation of the TV booster stations especially the one located at Naharati Street, Abaji Area Council of FCT, has since compelled residents to rely heavily on radio stations located in bordering Kogi state due to the lack of access to terrestrial TV station signals except those residents who are financially buoyant to afford the installation and monthly subscription of satellite cable TV services.
Moshood Ahmed, Abuja